Safran selected to power new UK’s training rotorcraft

11 July 2016, Farnborough International Airshow

Rémy Bertrand / Safran

Safran has been selected to supply engines for the training aircraft selected for Rotary Wing training under the UK's Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme. Safran Helicopter Engines will provide Arrius 2B2Plus and Arriel 2E turbines for the fleet of Airbus Helicopters H135 and H145.

Safran maintains its position of preferred engine manufacturer for helicopter training operations. Bruno Even, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, said "UK military pilots have trained using our engines aboard Gazelle and Squirrel rotorcraft for 40 years. We are glad they will keep using Safran engines in their future H135 and H145 training operations".

Arrius and Arriel engines are already contributing to training operations in the United States, Australia, France, Germany and many other countries.

The Arrius 2B2Plus and Arriel 2E combine state-of-the-art technology with best–in-class reliability. With a growing market share of the H135 market, the Arrius 2B2Plus is currently in demand for operators conducting missions in demanding environments. One of its advantages is better performance in hot-and-high conditions, enabling the H135 to carry more payload at the same altitude. To date, Safran has delivered more than 3,150 Arrius engines to 430 customers in 60 countries.

Arriel is the proven and most reliable engine solution within the 700 to 1,000 shp range. Around 12,000 units have been produced, together logging 45 million flight hours. As well as the H145, Arriel engines now power over 40 different helicopter types and is the best-selling engine in its class.